Never Escaped

I have always been a good hunter, since I was born. I've never missed a target, ever. Of course, a lot of my skill came from being a Sunda Tiger. But I was the ablest of my streak. I had a special technique. Once I caught a sniff of prey, I would creep through the grasslands, hiding quickly when it looked up. I would keep my eyes on the prize, and my nose and ears on it too. I would stay far enough from the animal so that it couldn't detect me, but close enough that I could pounce and pin it down. I hardly ever had to chase my prey, but when I did, that was the real fun. Deer especially were thrilling to chase. I wasn't as fast as them, but they could never match my intelligence. I'd run as fast as possible for a while, then slow down. As I did, the deer would think the chase was over. They would have a moment of relief. And a moment was all I needed. I'd charge back at them again, catch them off guard, and then enjoy a glorious, well-earned meal. When I was on the hunt, I couldn't think about anything else but the present, or I might miss my chance. So I never thought about the future or reminisce on the past. Until now.

I keep having flashbacks, so much that I'm practically unaware of my surroundings. Something we were warned not to be since Day 1. Something a tiger can't afford to be, to stay alive.

But I was already dying.

I had been stalking a small antelope, the first one I had come across in days. But I didn't know I was also being stalked. It was a hotter summer than I'd ever seen before, and I felt my head spin from the heat and my hunger.

I was almost within pouncing distance when I heard a click. The deer ran away when it heard the noise, and I also tried to. But I stepped on some sort of rope tied to a nearby acacia tree and it tightened when I struggled to get out. The rope left a deep, red scar where it had fastened.

I kept trying to escape, but it was no use. And eventually I gave up. My paw pained, and I whimpered. Then, I heard a voice.

"This one's gonna make fine money, I'll bet," a tall man said gruffly.

"Yep. That's a big one," another replied.

They each had greenish-brown uniforms and rifles.

I realized right then that I was trapped. I was the helpless prey.

I thought that maybe I could try to slowly slip my paw out of the rope, so I tried it. I tucked my claws in and twisted my legs so that they escape it. It worked, but a moment too late.

A bullet lunged at me. I hit me in the back as I was running away. A few inches and it would have shot directly at my chest, and I would have died on the spot.

I didn't stop to rest until I was sure the poachers had no chance of finding me. There was a bloody gash where the bullet had ricocheted.

I'm not dead yet, but I won't be alive much longer. And I think my scars won't ever heal. They're starting to smell now, and I pray that the stink of rotting flesh won't attract hyenas. I'm too weak to ward them off.

I suddenly hear footsteps. Have the poachers found me?

I don't escape, because I can't. I'm going to die anyway, and they'll just speed up the process, I think. But the person who approaches doesn't have weapons.

When he sees me, he pulls out a small device.

"Michael to Angelo, are you there.?" he says into it.

There's a much quieter, muffled voice that replies.

"Angelo speaking. What's wrong Michael?"

"There's been another poaching in Forest a-189."

"Did you get a look at them?"

"No, all I see is the tiger they injured. Looks like a Sunda, they're Critically Endangered. There's a bullet hole in his back, near his left shoulder.

"Oh, the poor thing! We're sending John to bring the tiger here, you keep a lookout for the criminals."

"Ok, understood. Bye."

Then, the device makes a beeping sound and the man turns to me.

"Hang in there" he says in a calm voice.

After a while, a second person appears in a big car. He has yellow hair on his head and chin.

The men pull me off the ground and into a box which they put into the car, with great difficulty.

The yellow-haired man starts driving away, and the other stays behind.

I try to think about what's happening and where we're going, but I have no clue. It doesn't matter anyway, I tell myself.

I fall asleep during the drive.

When I wake up, I'm not in the car anymore. I'm in a confined area with a few other people all dressed in white. They carry all sorts of devices with them. I assume they are weapons to kill me, but why did I have to brought here first?

Do they want to make me suffer before I die?

They pull out some sort of cloth.

One person calls out, "We need the antiseptic!".

Another person gets a bottle.

They soak the cloth with the liquid and apply it on my scars.

It burns and I writhe in pain.

Then they get out another longer, thinner cloth and wrap it around my paw and my back.

Then they pull out a needle and push it in my fur. I feel some serum pulsing in my body and I fall asleep.

When I wake up my scars hurt a little less. There's a bowl of meat next to me. My stomach growls and I claw at the food. Then, I gulp it down. It isn't as good as deer, it has a pathetic taste. But I'm too hungry to be bothered my taste.

The same process repeats for 7 months. I'm getting better physically, but worse mentally. I hate being trapped here, though I've come to the conclusion that these people aren't trying to hurt me. I've gotten used to the taste of the meat they give me but I miss hunting. I miss my forest.

The day's routine goes by, but when its time for me to be stabbed by the needle, they instead open a wide gate leading outside.

I try to run to it, but I realize I'm harnessed to the big bed they put me on.

I growl menacingly at the humans, and they laugh right in my face.

I keep growling and they keep laughing but eventually they do unstrap the harnesses and let me leave.

I roam around, enjoying the fresh air. I have a slight limp now so it takes a while for me to get around.

I know this isn't my forest, but it's fine for now. They still give me their flavorless meat. They don't let me hunt.

Another 7 months go by and I start to settle into this life. It's not all that bad. But it doesn't feel natural to me.

I don't have to follow the same old boring routine anymore, though they do still give me the "antiseptic" and another bluish liquid that makes me limp less.

They start to bring in female tigers to make me mate, but I never do, to their utter disappointment.

I don't want a new generation of tigers to be born here. They deserve the thrill of the jungle. The real jungle.

I'm going to grow old here. And the biggest regret of my life will be that I had to spend half of it away from my forest. They're bringing more and more tigers here which means more and more tigers are getting attacked. I feel so sorry for all of them. But there's nothing I can do. Poacher's ruined so many lives and took many more. I heard the two monsters that shot me were jailed, and that's my only joy.

I hope that other tigers will have a happy ending, free and uninjured. But I know I won't.